Your Powder Selection Criteria?

[45-70guy]

@Schüler Jumbo
Unless you are chasing bench rest accuracy primers play little part in hunting loads.
Don't overthink it chemistry is for scientists.
Pick the projectile you want, the velocity you are chasing and pick the powder everyone else recommend. 90-105% case capacity. Yes 195% but you need a drop tube
Depending on your cartridge CFE223is very versatile in cases from 17 REM to 375 mag
H4831 is a good powder in a lot of cartridges with heavy bullets to.
Research is your friend here.
Bob

Bob I’m making my first trip this year to Africa and taking one of my 35 whelens. Cfe223 powder will be coming along inside the cartridges. It wasn’t a hard choice to decide which whelen I would take or what bullet I would load, but it was a hard choice what scope I wanted to use in the thick bush!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob I’m making my first trip this year to Africa and taking one of my 35 whelens. Cfe223 powder will be coming along inside the cartridges. It wasn’t a hard choice to decide which whelen I would take or what bullet I would load, but it was a hard choice what scope I wanted to use in the thick bush!

@45-70guy
My Whelen wears a Ziess 3-9 with a duplex reticle. I leave it set in 3x and if needed I can crank it up. I used 9x for my impala at 275 yds.
What load did you settle on for your Whelen.
Bob

 

[Inkgardener]

1-availability
2-versatility
3-temperature insensitivity

I use mostly Hodgdon powders and have mostly been using their data.

Thanks to Bob Whelen for getting me on CFE223, which is made in Florida. I really like it and it will always be available to us in the US.

 

[45-70guy]

@45-70guy
My Whelen wears a Ziess 3-9 with a duplex reticle. I leave it set in 3x and if needed I can crank it up. I used 9x for my impala at 275 yds.
What load did you settle on for your Whelen.
Bob

Thanks for that Bob I’m always comparing what others use just to reference my setups.
The load I’m taking is a 225g North Fork with a mid charge of cfe223 at 2700 fps out of my 24” barrel.
It’s not a full charge obviously but it’s what I had loaded enough to practice off sticks and take with me. It was a load from another Whelen.
It’s not the fastest load I could do but it’s 1 MOA and sometimes better on a good day for 7 shot groups for my greenhorn butt.

 

[MS 9x56]

I have been using the cfe223 a lot lately and the more I use it the better I like it. Lots of good information here. I think one of the main mistakes people make is chasing the highest velocity. I am looking for the best accuracy within the velocity envelope of the bullets I have chosen that is generally well below maximum velocity.

 

[45-70guy]

I have been using the cfe223 a lot lately and the more I use it the better I like it. Lots of good information here. I think one of the main mistakes people make is chasing the highest velocity. I am looking for the best accuracy within the velocity envelope of the bullets I have chosen that is generally well below maximum velocity.

When I started with 225g and 250g bullets I noticed good accuracy across the board from min to max.
The 225’s I dropped down the charge as I switched to North Forks as they state to drop down 8% and work up. I found even at middle charges it was great accuracy and velocity that’s right on par with factory 338 Win mag out of my Whelens.
Bob on the other hand he’s got some serious loads that are not for the faint of heart and could drop a dinosaur

 

[arniet]

Do any of the powders on my shelves work? Based on books, GRT or QuickLoad? Start there.

 

[double rifle newbie]

availability is a priority. some powders like rl 15 are ideal for several rifles i have but its rarer than sympathy these days. i find available alternatives and go from there.

 

[Tex .416]

I try to see which powders I already have on hand which are known to provide good results for the bullet and cartridge combination. I prefer powders that are on the slower side of the burn rate scale for the cartridge as they provide more case fill and will be less likely to run into the excessive pressure zone in higher temps.

Then go to the range and make the first cut shooting three shot groups per charge weight sorts out the options very quickly. Take the two or three best charge weights, load ten rounds each and shoot some more. If one produces a decent ten shot group, then fine tune further, if needed, trying different primers or seating depth until a good solid, reliable load has proven itself. Then followup in hotter and colder temps to make sure it works year round. My loads are never run at max or even close to max. I will use a bigger cartridge if more velocity is needed.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Thanks for that Bob I’m always comparing what others use just to reference my setups.
The load I’m taking is a 225g North Fork with a mid charge of cfe223 at 2700 fps out of my 24” barrel.
It’s not a full charge obviously but it’s what I had loaded enough to practice off sticks and take with me. It was a load from another Whelen.
It’s not the fastest load I could do but it’s 1 MOA and sometimes better on a good day for 7 shot groups for my greenhorn butt.

@45-70guy
Have Whelen will hunt.
With those north forks I would have no issues taking on even cape Buffalo in a pinch if allowed.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have been using the cfe223 a lot lately and the more I use it the better I like it. Lots of good information here. I think one of the main mistakes people make is chasing the highest velocity. I am looking for the best accuracy within the velocity envelope of the bullets I have chosen that is generally well below maximum velocity.

@MS 9x56
I like velocity and accuracy. Fortunately I have been able to get both.
Can't complain at sub moa and full power loads in the Whelen.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

When I started with 225g and 250g bullets I noticed good accuracy across the board from min to max.
The 225’s I dropped down the charge as I switched to North Forks as they state to drop down 8% and work up. I found even at middle charges it was great accuracy and velocity that’s right on par with factory 338 Win mag out of my Whelens.
Bob on the other hand he’s got some serious loads that are not for the faint of heart and could drop a dinosaur

@45-70guy
The best accuracy I got with my Whelen was 0.3" groups for 3 shots with the old 250gn Hornady Round nose at 2,700fps.
At least with the Whelen it leave your hat on your heed unlike that fire breathing bitch slapping 338 mag.
Bob

 

[NoStepOnSnek]

My selection process was this: H4895 was on the load tables for all rifle calibers I reload, and H110 was on sale for reloading a 357. I have one more order to come in before I reload my first round, so take my advice for a grain of powder

 

[45-70guy]

@45-70guy
Have Whelen will hunt.
With those north forks I would have no issues taking on even cape Buffalo in a pinch if allowed.
Bob

If they allowed it I would love to.
even if I had to load up the 270g North Forks to get the higher SD.

 

[45-70guy]

@45-70guy
The best accuracy I got with my Whelen was 0.3" groups for 3 shots with the old 250gn Hornady Round nose at 2,700fps.
At least with the Whelen it leave your hat on your heed unlike that fire breathing bitch slapping 338 mag.
Bob

The Speer Hot cors gave me good accuracy with all sorts of different loads, I have a pile so I use them for practice in my short whelen. Cheap and accurate. The Hornady RN did give good accuracy too and the Norma Oryx.
To be honest most bullets gave me good accuracy with the right powder. I have yet to try the Hawks but I have some on the shelf

 

[Inkgardener]

My selection process was this: H4895 was on the load tables for all rifle calibers I reload, and H110 was on sale for reloading a 357. I have one more order to come in before I reload my first round, so take my advice for a grain of powder

As a new reloader, H4895 is great for rifle. H110, well…carpe diem right? You should add HP-38 and you’ll be starting off great!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The Speer Hot cors gave me good accuracy with all sorts of different loads, I have a pile so I use them for practice in my short whelen. Cheap and accurate. The Hornady RN did give good accuracy too and the Norma Oryx.
To be honest most bullets gave me good accuracy with the right powder. I have yet to try the Hawks but I have some on the shelf

@45-70guy
Stoke those 250 Speers up with a max load of 65gn of CFE 223 for 2,700fps.
Touch ol' Betsy off with that load and I can assure you it will put a smile one your dial.
That load is a genuine 400yard thumper.
Put it over the chrono at the range and when people are told it's a Whelen they just look at you and scratch their head, tell you you are crazy or get your chrono checked that's not right
You just smile and have fun.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

As a new reloader, H4895 is great for rifle. H110, well…carpe diem right? You should add HP-38 and you’ll be starting off great!

@Inkgardener
I used to feel the same about H4895/2206H and varget but then discovered CFE223. It covers a lot of bases from 17 Rem to 458 win.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

If they allowed it I would love to.
even if I had to load up the 270g North Forks to get the higher SD.

@45-70guy
With those 270 gn north forks you have the FULL EQUAL of the 9.2X62 loaded with 286 grainers and that load has killed a plethora of big game.
Bob

 

[NoStepOnSnek]

As a new reloader, H4895 is great for rifle. H110, well…carpe diem right? You should add HP-38 and you’ll be starting off great!

Thanks for the advice. My main purpose for reloading is some reduced loads for practicing with my 458wm, and some target rounds for my 357 mag